Bloomfield Hills district: Prayer OK, just not during school-governed activities

Jul. 2, 2013

Written by

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

In Bloomfield Hills Schools, students can pray — just not during school activities that other students are required to attend, or when it could appear that a school employee is leading the prayers.

That’s the message district officials are trying to spread after Lahser High School made headlines recently because of an ACLU complaint over prayers at football games.

In February, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sent a letter to Superintendent Robert Glass and Lahser principal Charlie Hollerith expressing concerns about a football coach leading players in Christian prayers on the field at the end of home games. A student’s complaint to the ACLU sparked the letter, said Rana Elmir, deputy director of the ACLU of Michigan.

District spokeswoman Shira Good said the district investigated and discovered that students — not coach Dan Loria — were actually leading the prayers. But that’s still a no-no, according to the district and ACLU.

“What the law states is that any employee who is in a supervisory role or role of authority, and they are district-employed, cannot lead or appear to lead students in prayer,” Good said. “At any sort of event where attendance is expected or required, that employee cannot lead or appear to conduct prayer.

“If a teacher is teaching (and) a student wants to pray, the students could not do that during class.”

Good said students are and have always been welcome to pray on their own time without disrupting the school day. She stressed that the district has not banned prayer in schools.

“Our students should feel comfortable in their environment and we respect their freedom to pray or not pray,” Glass, the superintendent, said in an e-mail. “However, Bloomfield Hills Schools is a public school district and therefore, prayer must be conducted so as not to conflict with instruction time, other students, or school sponsored activities.”

District officials reminded Loria that student-led prayer cannot be part of post-football game discussions or team meetings, according to a letter the district sent to the ACLU.

“He apologized and took responsibility for being there while the prayers were led,” Good said.

Elmir said it is unconstitutional for a coach to participate in or supervise group prayer. Courts have recognized, she said, that there is too great a likelihood of players who are not part of the majority religion — or any religion at all — being forced to choose between religious liberty and the privilege of fitting in with the team.

The matter has been resolved since March. But in recent days, local and even national news outlets have picked up the story. Good said people from around the country who have the misconception that prayer has been banned have called the district to complain.

Lahser and Andover High schools closed in June and will merge to become Bloomfield Hills High School.